A Brief Good Friday Reflection

Today there is proof that a thing that is Good need not always be Pleasant.

We do not celebrate so much as remember, as much as we commemorate. We sit in the shadow of the Cross, witnessing the last breaths of the man who claims to be our Savior. We eagerly await Easter, and are grateful we know it will come. It can be difficult to dismiss the resurrection of Easter in order to more fully see the suffering of Christ and the devastation of the apostles. We are fortunate to live after the fact; watching Jesus suffer not knowing the outcome would be nigh unbearable. The lashes, the pain, the agony, the torment, and finally, his death. We take this time to remember Christ’s sacrifice, even more explicitly than we do year-round.

To lose a friend or a family member is to experience what can only be described as hell-on-earth. To lose someone you believed to be the messiah, someone you were sure would save everyone? Hell is entirely descriptive, here. A weekend of hell, those apostles must have experienced. So take some time today and this weekend to remember that hindsight can be a blessing.

Remember the sacrifice of Jesus. Consider the lashes, the agony, and recall the suffering. Never lose sight of Easter, however. Our lives are situated in the Resurrection, not the Cross. We are asked to pick up our crosses, but we see the result, we see the end. We see the risen Savior, even as we bear the lashes he endured, though we only bear lesser torments.

May we live in light of Easter, even as we reflect on Good Friday.

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Something to keep in mind when reflecting on the Crucifixion is that the physical pain of the experience is never mentioned. The Bible focuses on the social humiliation of being crucified (phil. 2.6-11). Thus carrying one’s cross is not as much about physical/emotional/and spiritual suffering as it is about emptying oneself–becoming despised, becoming nothing when required, in carrying out our mission.